Tag: #meettheboard

This is another installment of our Meet the Board series. Today, we are featuring Mallory Slavis, the Exploring Engineering at Purdue (EE@P) Chair. She will be PSWE’s vice president next year.

1. Why Purdue?

Purdue landed on my radar after attending for volleyball camp while in high school, and after also attending PSWE’s Senior Sleepover, I was too in love with the Purdue atmosphere to even consider anywhere else!

2. Are you currently watching anything on Netflix?

Yes! I am currently learning American Sign Language, so I enjoy watching Switched at Birth and using it to practice.

3. How did you choose your major?

I chose my major after attending an Engineering Interest Seminar freshman year, and strongly relating to the presentation given about Industrial Engineering.

4. Any hobbies/clubs other than SWE?

Too many haha. I am a finance co-chair in Alpha Phi Omega (co-ed service fraternity), Vice-President of Apollonian Club (Third Street Suites Hall Club), Band Manager for Tower Six (an alternative rock band comprised of Purdue students), and I’m on the Leadership Team for WIEP’s i2R program.

5. How did you get involved with SWE?

I sought SWE out from the moment I came on campus, since attending their Senior Sleepover in high school was such a huge part of my decision to attend Purdue.

This is part of an ongoing series where we introduce you to our difference board members. Today, we feature our Multicultural Chair, Shifali Reddy.

1. Why did you choose to be the Multicultural Chair?

I choose to be Multicultural Chair because I was really interested in being part of the social aspect of SWE. I think Multicultural Chair is pretty unique because I have the ability to learn so much more about different cultures and holidays from around the world and have the opportunity to share all these insights with the other SWE members!

2. What is your ideal vacation?

My ideal vacation is going to a city that I’ve never been to before and just getting a chance to explore. I’d much rather spend time in museums learning about history than sitting on a beach.

3. What do you like most about Purdue?

I think the people at Purdue is my favorite part. Coming from New Jersey, I thought college would be super rough and that I wouldn’t be able to make any friends because I literally knew no one when I got here, but all the people have been super supportive and super nice!

4. What would be your last supper, and why?

Honestly, probably just a home-cooked meal would be my last supper because I haven’t had one in a while and that’s really the only thing on my mind at the moment.

5. Why did you join PSWE?

I joined PSWE for the social aspect and networking that SWE provides. PSWE has a multitude of social events for all its members and a ton of networking opportunities, so there’s never a dull moment!

This is part of a series called “Meet the Board,” where we feature our different board members. Today, we feature Kimi Wylin, our treasurer. The treasurer is in charge of the SWE budget and coming up with ways to increase it.

1. What is your favorite PSWE event?

I love all of the events! If I have to pick a favorite I would say Girl Scout Day. I really enjoy seeing the young girls show their passion for science while having a good time.

2. What is your favorite study break?

I love to be outside. Pretty much anything outside is a great break for me: hiking, running, playing sports, or even just hanging out listening to music and talking with friends outside.

3. Why did you pick your major?

I picked my major because at one point I intended on going to medical school but also wanted a challenging undergrad degree. Biological engineering was a good option for this. Although I no longer intend on going to medical school (at least not any time soon!) ABE was a great major and provided me with the mindset and work ethic I’ll need in the future.

4. What other organizations are you involved in on campus?

I am an ambassador for ABE, TA for one of the ABE courses, and participate in the Purdue Soybean Innovation Competition in which we develop a novel product idea made from soy.

5. What is the best part about your position as a PSWE Officer?

I like that I am able to help the younger members develop in SWE and life. Its really fun to see how everyone progresses throughout the year. Makes it even more sad that I’ll be gone after this semester!

6. What are you most looking forward to after the semester?

Since the semester is nearly over, I am excited to see how SWE and the board develops for next year! I’ve really enjoyed helping with outreach this year and taking on all of the other treasurer duties. It’s going to be really weird not being a part of it on such a deep level when I graduate!

-Peggy Magro

P.S.: Don’t forget, officer elections are at 6 pm this Friday at ARMS B061. We hope to see you there!

This is another installment in our “Meet the Board” series where we introduce our board members to our readers. Today, we feature Megan Hedges, our Membership Vitality Director.

1. What is your favorite thing about Purdue?

I think my favorite thing about Purdue is the wide variety of clubs available to students. Whether you want experience for a resume or to learn how to juggle, there’s gonna be a club here that can help you out.

2. Besides SWE, what other extracurriculars are you involved in?

I am also involved in the Juggling and Unicycling club (meets Wednesdays from 8-10 in the Armory ) which has been a blast for the past three years where I literally learned how to juggle fire! Besides that, I do a lot with the M and M program through Women in Engineering and also volunteer at ACE food pantry (open Tues 2-6 and Sun 6-8 in the Baptist Foundation).

3. Why did you join PSWE?

I joined as a second semester freshman mainly because I was nervous about there being so few women in my electrical engineering classes. I wanted to find people who could support me and could relate to my situation.

4. What does your ideal vacation look like, and why?

My ideal vacation would definitely involve lots of chocolate, naps, and horrendously cliché Rom Coms. Also, I want to be surrounded by puppies and learn how to fly.

5. What does your board position do?

My board position is Membership Vitality Director, so I help out the Recruitment and Recognition, Multicultural, SWEetie Sidekick, and Student Affairs chairs and plan the Ice Cream Social and PCBC (Politically Correct Bar Crawl). On an average week, I will get updates from my chairs on how their events are coming and tackle any problems that may arise for them, put in attendance points if there’s a lot of events at once, and make sure we honor a Member of the Week.

6. What is your guilty pleasure?

My guilty pleasure has got to be changing into sweatpants as soon as possible each day. There are definitely days where I enjoy wearing sweatpants even if it’s just for a two hour break between classes.

This is part of our “Meet the Board” series, where we feature our board members. Today, we feature Alysha Helmrich, our STEM Engagement Director, who is in charge of encouraging younger female kids to pursue STEM fields through TEAMS events and Girl Scout Day.

1. How did you decide to become a SWE board member?

I started my involvement in SWE my freshman year as an office assistant for the Senior Sleepover Chair, and I realized I wanted to get more involved with planning outreach events. I am from a small town, and it was thanks to Project Lead The Way that I even knew what engineering was. And so, I wanted to be able to help introduce other students to the field (of engineering as a whole) and show them that it is more than science and math but also coming up with creative solutions to make the world a better place.

2. What is your favorite kind of music?

I tend to listen to a lot of country music in the summer and more pop in the winter. But my all time favorite artists are Ellie Goulding and Ed Sheeran, both of which I’ve been lucky enough to see live.

3. Which major did you pick and how did you choose it?

I am graduating in Environmental and Ecological Engineering this spring and continuing my education in the field with a Masters. I knew coming into Purdue that I wanted a career dealing with the environment due to my love of nature and growing up around Pokagon State Park in NE Indiana. All I had to do was follow my interests to find my home in an engineering sub-set.

4. What is your favorite holiday?

My favorite holiday is Halloween because I love seeing all the creativity involved in the costumes.

5. Do you have any plans for after you graduate?

After graduation, I will be staying here at Purdue to complete my Masters. During the summer, I will be returning to John Deere for my third internship, working on environmental engineering in Waterloo, IA.

6. What are you most excited to do this semester?

I am most excited for graduation. It’s exciting to have one chapter ending so I can start the next one!

This is another installment of our “Meet the Board” series that features our amazing board members. Today, we introduce you to Varsha Ganapathy, PSWE Vice President.

1. Why did you choose Purdue?

Coming from the Chicagoland area, I had always heard that Purdue has an amazing engineering program and there are a lot of opportunities for women in engineering. I fell in love with campus the first time I visited after being accepted and knew right away that Purdue was the school for me. There’s such a welcoming atmosphere and the random people you meet are so friendly!

2. What is your favorite study break?

I enjoy working out at the CoRec or catching up on some of my favorite TV shows!

3. What has been your biggest challenge at Purdue?

My biggest challenge thus far (like every other college student) has been figuring out what I want to do with the rest of my life. I have so many interests and passions which led to my involvement in a ton of student organizations; each organization has helped me understand what I want to continue pursuing in the future. For example, I have been involved with a lot of outreach organizations and that has inspired me to want to start an outreach program for young girls at some point after I start working.

4. What is your favorite SWE memory?

Trade Show 2016. I was so happy and relieved to see that my event was successful and that both the company representatives and students had a great time!

5. What has been the most rewarding part of being Vice President of SWE?

The most rewarding aspect of my position in SWE has been getting to know a lot of the PSWE members and hearing about how SWE has made a difference in their life. Whether its a social event or a professional networking session, there is always an opportunity to meet people, make new friends, and have fun; knowing that people appreciate something that we’ve worked hard on all year makes it worthwhile.

6. What is your favorite place to eat on campus?

I really like Thai food so maybe Basil Thai but I also like tea a lot so Greyhouse. This is a hard question.